DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT

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AXUS74 KSHV 300215
DGTSHV
ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-TXZ096-
097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-301400-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
815 PM CST SAT JAN 29 2011

...JANUARY RAINFALL HAS EASED THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST TEXAS BUT SEVERE AND EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST
ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE FOUR STATE REGION...

SYNOPSIS...

AFTER ONE OF THE DRIEST DECEMBERS ON RECORD AT MOST LOCATIONS ACROSS
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...EAST TEXAS...AND NORTH
LOUISIANA...RAINFALL HAS BEEN MORE PLENTIFUL DURING JANUARY...WITH
MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTALS RANGING FROM TWO TO IN EXCESS OF FIVE INCHES
ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. THE EXCEPTION WAS ACROSS AREAS NORTH OF
THE INTERSTATE 30 CORRIDOR OF EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA...AND ADJACENT SECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...WHERE
MONTHLY RAINFALL HAS AVERAGED A HALF INCH TO AN INCH. THIS RESULTED
IN MONTHLY DEPARTURE FROM NORMALS OF AN INCH AND A HALF TO IN EXCESS
OF TWO AND A HALF INCHES BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THESE AREAS...WHEREAS
THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION OBSERVED NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
MONTHLY RAINFALL. THIS NEEDED RAINFALL HAS HELPED TO SLIGHTLY
IMPROVE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS EAST TEXAS AND NORTH
LOUISIANA...BUT ADDITIONAL NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS IS NEEDED TO FURTHER ALLEVIATE THE DROUGHT
CONDITIONS THAT HAS PLAGUED MUCH OF THE AREA SINCE LAST SPRING.
DESPITE THE RAINFALL...EXTREME (D3) AND SEVERE (D2) DROUGHT
CONDITIONS PERSIST ACROSS MUCH OF EAST TEXAS...NORTH LOUISIANA...AND
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. MODERATE (D1) DROUGHT CONDITIONS ALSO CONTINUE
ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AS WELL.


SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...

AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS.
NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL OBSERVED DURING JANUARY ACROSS
EAST TEXAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 30...MUCH OF NORTH LOUISIANA AND EXTREME
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...HAS IMPROVED SOIL MOISTURE LEVELS AND RECHARGED
STOCK PONDS. THE RAIN HAS HELPED THE EXISTING WINTER PASTURES...AND WAS
HOPED THAT IT WOULD JUMP START THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN SLOW TO GROW SO FAR
THIS WINTER. HAY SUPPLIES REMAINED SHORT...WITH SOME PRODUCERS HAVING TO
PURCHASE HAY AND ALFALFA FROM OTHER AREAS TO FEED THEIR LIVESTOCK.

FIRE DANGER IMPACTS.
NO BURN BANS ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT ACROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION GIVEN
THE COOL AND WET CONDITIONS OBSERVED SO FAR THIS MONTH. HOWEVER...FIRE
DANGER REMAINS LOW TO MODERATE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA.

CURRENT WATER RESTRICTIONS.
THE PLEASURE POINT WATER SYSTEM IN ANGELINA COUNTY TEXAS REMAINS
UNDER A MILD RATIONING OF WATER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.


CLIMATE SUMMARY...

AFTER A VERY DRY DECEMBER...WHERE MANY LOCATIONS RANKED IN THE TOP 5
DRIEST DECEMBERS ON RECORD...JANUARY HAS SEEN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE
NORMAL RAINFALL ACROSS MUCH OF EAST TEXAS, NORTH LOUISIANA, AND
EXTREME SOUTHERN ARKANSAS. HOWEVER, BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL CONTINUES
TO BE A PROBLEM ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS NORTH OF THE
INTERSTATE 30 CORRIDOR, AS WELL AS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND ADJACENT
SECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE JANUARY MONTHLY RAINFALL HAS
BARELY PUT A DENT IN THE ONGOING LONG TERM DROUGHT, WITH MUCH OF THE
AREA ONLY HAVING RECEIVED 55-65% OF THEIR NORMAL RAINFALL SINCE THE
DROUGHT BEGAN LAST MARCH. BELOW IS A LIST OF RAINFALL TOTALS FROM
MARCH 2010 THROUGH LATE JANUARY...THEIR DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL...AND
THEIR PERCENTAGES OF NORMAL...FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS ACROSS THE FOUR
STATE REGION:

CITY:           MARCH - JANUARY       DEPARTURE      PERCENTAGE
               (THROUGH 1/28/11)     FROM NORMAL      OF NORMAL

SHREVEPORT LA         28.41             -18.31            61%

SHREVEPORT LA         28.50             -18.22            61%
(SOUTH SHREVEPORT/SOUTHERN HILLS OFFICIAL COOPERATIVE OBSERVING STATION)

MONROE LA             40.36              -2.40            94%

NATCHITOCHES LA       26.77             -19.87            57%

COLUMBIA LA           26.24             -28.31            48%

TEXARKANA AR          25.55             -17.54            59%

EL DORADO AR          27.53             -21.89            56%

HOPE 3NE AR           27.93             -22.72            55%

PRESCOTT 2NNW AR      28.98             -21.15            58%

DEQUEEN AR            25.07             -24.51            51%

MT. PLEASANT TX       29.74             -11.15            73%

TYLER TX              30.11             -11.10            73%

LONGVIEW TX           25.31             -19.55            56%

LUFKIN TX             29.47             -11.15            68%


SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA MESONET STATIONS...
MT. HERMAN            33.42             -18.36            65%
BROKEN BOW            36.66             -15.12            71%
IDABEL                30.59             -16.60            65%


PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

WITH MUCH OF JANUARY HAVING EXPERIENCED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AREAWIDE,
A PERIOD OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED TO GREET THE FIRST COUPLE
DAYS OF FEBRUARY...AS A SOUTHERLY FLOW CONTINUES TO BRING WARM TEMPERATURES
AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE NORTH INTO THE REGION. THE APPROACH OF A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM THAT WILL DROP SOUTH ACROSS OF THE
ROCKIES TUESDAY WILL YIELD NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
AREAWIDE TUESDAY...SOME OF WHICH COULD BE SEVERE. HOWEVER...IN ITS
WAKE...MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL FILTER SOUTHWARD INTO THE
REGION WEDNESDAY...WITH THESE COLDER TEMPERATURES PERSISTING THROUGH
THE END OF THE WORK WEEK.

THE THREE MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FOR FEBRUARY-MARCH-APRIL...ISSUED
BY CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC)...INDICATES GREATER PROBABILITIES FOR
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER ALL OF THE FOUR STATE REGION. THE THREE
MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK THROUGH APRIL INDICATES MOSTLY EQUAL CHANCES
FOR BELOW NORMAL...NORMAL...OR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS ALL OF
NORTHEAST TEXAS...NORTH LOUISIANA...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...AND SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA.


HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...

THE WIDESPREAD THREE TO FIVE INCH RAINFALL TOTALS OBSERVED SO FAR IN JANUARY
ACROSS MUCH OF EAST TEXAS AND NORTH LOUISIANA HAS YIELDED SOME IMPROVEMENT
TO AREA LAKES AND RESERVOIRS...ALTHOUGH MANY STILL REMAIN SOME TWO TO FOUR
FEET BELOW CONSERVATION POOL STAGE. HOWEVER...RAINFALL HAS BEEN MORE SCARCE
THIS MONTH ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
ARKANSAS...AND THE RED RIVER COUNTIES OF EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS...WHERE ONLY
A HALF INCH TO AN INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN. WHEN COMBINED WITH THE
VERY DRY DECEMBER...RESERVOIRS SUCH AS DENISON...HUGO...PINE
CREEK...BROKEN BOW...DEQUEEN...AND DIERKS LAKE REMAIN SOME THREE TO
NINE FEET BELOW CONSERVATION POOL STAGE.


NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY LATE FEBRUARY.